Safety shield for explosively-actuated stud-driving tool



July 17, 1962 v. R. ERICKSON 3,

SAFETY SHIELD FOR EXPLOSIVELY-ACTUATED STUD-DRIVING TOOL Filed Jan. 50, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lOA - IN V EN TOR. VIRGINIUS ROBERTv ERlCKSON ATTORNEY July 17, 1962 v. R. ERICKSON SAFETY SHIELD FOR EXPLOSIVELY-ACTUATED STUD-DRIVING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 30, 1961 FIG.

FIG. 5

FIG. 6

INVENTOR. VIRGINIUS ROBERT ERICKSON ATTORNEY Unite This invention relates to explosively-actuated hand tools, such as so-called stud guns, for driving studs, pins, or similar fastening elements, into concrete, masonry and other hard substances.

As is well known, in employing such an explosivelyactuated tool for driving a stud into a concrete Wall,

States O 3,044,070 Patented July 17, 1962 2 taken along the axial line of the bore of the gun muzzle of the tool and drawn to a larger scale than FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the shield and a section through the tool taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

for example, the muzzle of the gun barrel is held against the surface into which the stud is to be driven by the explosivecharge, and the driving of the stud into the concrete with the firing of the gun then causes fragments from the pierced wall surface to be discharged outwardly in all directions from the area surrounding the mouth of the gun muzzle. Accordingly, in order to protect the operator of such tool, from such fragments and dust, it is customary to provide a safety pad orsafety shield around the gun muzzle. It has been found in practice that, with the average explosively-actuated stud-driving tool of this general class, the safety shield should extend around the gun muzzle for at least a radial distance of two inches from the pierced hole in the wall surface. It is common practice for such stud-driving tools or guns now to be equipped with square-shaped shields for this purpose with an average size of approximately four inches on a side, which shields are centrally mounted on the housing surrounding the muzzle of the gun barrel.

However, when a stud is to be driven into a surface at a point which is closely adjacent another surface extending at right angles to the surface into which the stud is to be driven, or in other Words when the desired location of the stud is less than two inches away from such other wall surface, then such customary four inch safety shield prevents the use of the tool with such safety shield.

The object of the present invention accordingly is to provide an improved safety shield which can readily be adjusted so as to enable the gun muzzle to be positioned closer to such other wall surface under such circumstances.

A related object of the invention is to provide an improved adjustable safety shield which will remain rigidly secured to the end of the gun barrel sleeve or housing at all times regardless of the adjusting feature of this shield.

A further object is to provide an adjustable, but rigidly mounted shield which will be-of very simple construction while still insuring the desired amount of protection to the operator, and with which there will not be likelihood of the tool being used with improper or careless arrangement of the adjustable shield at any time.

The means by which these objects are attained with the present invention, and the manner in which the improved adjustable shield is constructed andemployed,

will be readily understood from the following brief de-- "FIG. 4 is a view taken from the left of FIG. 3 and on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, showing the inside of the shield;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section on line 5-5 of FIG. 3 drawn to a slightly larger scale showing the construction of the latch assembly which holds the adjustable portion of the shield in the normal position shown in FIGS. 1 to 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 3 drawn approximately to the same scale as FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the shield corresponding in part to FIG. 1, but drawn to the same scale as FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, and showing the shield in the adjusted arrangement for enabling the fastening element to be secured in a wall close to the intersection of that wall with another wall; and

FIG/'8 is a perspective view of the shield by itself showing the shield in the adjusted position of FIG. 7.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, the shield is formed of two parts, namely, a main part, designated by the reference character 10A and a smaller complemental part, designated by the reference character 10B, which parts are pivotally connected and which together normally form a composite box-like enclosure substantially square in shape, but with rounded corners.

The main part 10A of the shield has a top or rear wall 11, and the complemental smaller part 10B has a top or rear wall 12. When the two parts of the shield are in normal arrangement, and thus in normal position with respect to each other, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, the two rear walls 11 and 12 extend in the same plane and thus form a continuous rear Wall for the composite housing or shield.

An outer peripheral wall 13 (FIG. 4) extends along three side edges of the rear wall 11 of the main part 10A, and a supplemental wall 14 extends along the remaining edge of this rear wall 11. The walls 13 and 14 are integral with and peripendicular to the rear wall 11.

Similarly an outer peripheral Wall 15 extends along three side edges of the rear wall 12 of the complemental part 10B. The two peripheral 'walls 13 and 15 are ex actly the same wall height and are so arranged as to cooperate in providing a continuing peripheral wall around the entire shield when the shield is in normal arrangement as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive.

A pair of arms 16 and 17 are formed as integral extensions of the ends of the wall 15 of the complemental part 10B, and these arms are off-set slightly (FIG. 4) so as to overlie the wall 13 ofthe main part 10A. At their ends these arms are pivotally secured on the wall 13 by pivot rivets 116 and 17' respectively, thus pivotally mounting the complemental part 10B of the shield on the main part 10A.

The rear wall 11 of the main part 10A is provided with an aperture '18 for slidably receiving a cylindrical end member 19 (FIG. 2) encompassing the muzzle end of the gun barrel '20 of the explosively-actuated tool T, and the rear wall 11 is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the end of the sleeve 21 located on the outside .of the member 19.

As evident from FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, this aperture 18 in the rear wall 11 of the'main part 10A is so positioned that it will be located at the center of the composite shield when the two parts 10A and 10B are in their normal adjacent arrangement or position. However, the two parts 10A and 10B are of such relative size that the aperture 18 also will be close to the supplemental or interior wall 14 of the shield, as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The reason for this will presently be apparent.

Under ordinary circumstances, when there is sufficient area on the surface into which the stud is to be driven, on all sides of the point at which the stud is to be located, to enable the composite shield to be placed against the wall in itsnormal arrangement, then-the-shield and tool are used as indicated in FIG. 1. However, when the desired locationfor the stud is so close to another intersecting wall, for example, referring to FIG; 7, when the point at which, it is desired to place the stud in the wall W1 is so .close to the intersecting wall W2 that there is not room for the shield in its normal arrangement then the cornpler'nental par-t B is swung away (in counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7) from its position in FIG. 1 (adjacent the main part 10A) to the position shown in FIG. 7. This enables the tool T and the main part 10A of the shield to be brought into close proximity to the intersecting wall W2. Although the inner or supplemental side wall 14 of the shield is too close to the muzzle of the gun barrel of the tool 'lto provide adequate protection by itself on that side from the fragments discharged from the pierced wall by the driving of the stud into the wall, neverthelessthe proximity of the intersecting wall W2 under such situation then provides the needed additional protection since such intersecting wall serves as a buffer for checking the discharging'of fragments from that side of the shield.

ln order to prevent the complemental part 16B of the shieldfrom moving in the opposite direction (clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1) from its normal arrangement with respect to the main part 10A, a stop in the form of a metal band 22 is secured on the rear wall 11 of the main part 10A by a pair of stub bolts 23. This metal band 22 as shown best in FIGS. 3, 6 and 8, extends beyond the edge of the rear wall 11 and thus projects a short distance over the rear wall 12 of the complemental part 103 when both parts of the shield are in normal arrangement. Also the two ends 22' of this band 22 are made to extend down on the outside of the peripheral wall 13 of the main part MA tection.

As a convenience in holding the complemental part 1GB I claim:

1. An adjustable shield for the muzzle end of an explosively-actuated stud-drivir 1g tool including a main part and a separate complemental part, each of said parts having a rear wall, said rear walls being contiguous and extending in the same planehwhen said shield is in normal arrangement, said rear walls together constituting a substantially square area when said shield is in normal arrangement with said rear walls contiguous, a peripheral wall extending forwardly entirely around the periphery of said shield, said peripheral wall divided into two complementary sections with said sections attached to said rear walls of said parts respectively and extending perpendicular to the respective rear walls, a supplemental wall on said main part extending forwardly substantially perpendicular to said rear wall of said main part and extending along that edge of said rear wall of said main part which is continuous to said complemental part when said shield is in normal arrangement, the height of said supplemental wall corresponding to the height of said peripheral wallisections, said rear wall ofsaidmain part having an aperture for receiving the muzzle of the explosivelyactuated tool and for enabling said rear wall of said main part to be secured on said tool, said aperture positioned close to said supplemental wall on said main part and so located that said aperture is centrally positioned on said shield when said shield is in normal arrangement with said parts contiguous, a pair of arms extending from the ends of said peripheral wall section of said complemental part respectively, said arms overlying the end portions of said peripheral wall section of said main part respectively and against moving out of place in counterclockwise 'direc tion, except when such adjustment of the shield is desired, a latch assembly 24 is mounted on the complemental part 10B. This latch assembly consists of a U-shaped housing 25 (FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 7) welded on the wall 12 of the smaller part 108 and containing a latch 26. A spring 27 (FIG. 2), held under compression between the locking lip end of the latch and a pin 28, holds the: latch normally in locking position. An upstanding finger grip 26' at the opposite end of the latch enables the latch to be moved manually to unlocking position against the force of spring 27 and also restricts the forward movement of the latch under force of the spring.

No details of the tool T need be givensince such explosively-actuated hand tools are well known. Thereare several different makes of tools of this type, specifically difiering from each other, but all employed in the same manner, and the improved adjustable shield of the present invention is not intended to be limited to use with any specific tool of this general type, the use of shields with pivotally connected at their outer ends with said peripheral wall section of said main part, said complemental part and said arms so mounted and arranged with respect to said main part as to enable said complemental part to be swung forwardly from its normal position adjacent said main part and then rearwardly over the end of said main part opposite said supplemental wall, releasable locking means for preventing said complemental part from swinging forwardly from its normal position with respect to said main part, and means secured on said rear wall of said main part overlying a portion of said rear wall of said complemental part when said complemental part is in normal position and thereby preventing said complemental part from being moved rearwardly from its normal position with respect to said part.

2. An adjustable shield for the muzzle end of an explosively-actuated stud-driving tool comprising a main part and a separate complemental part, each of said parts having a rear wall, said rear walls being contiguous and extending in the same plane when said shield is in normal arrangement, said rear walls together constituting a substantially square area with rounded corners when said shield is in normal arrangement with said rear walls contiguous, a peripheral wall extending forwardly entirely around the periphery of said shield, said peripheral wall divided into two complementary section with said sections attached to said rear walls of said parts respectively and extending perpendicular to the respective rear walls, a supplemental wall of said main part extending forwardly substantially perpendicular to said rear wall of said main part and extending along that edge of said rear wall of said main part which is contiguous to said complemental part when said shield is in normalarrangement, the height of said supplemental wall corresponding to the height of said peripheral wall sections, said rear wall of said main part having an aperture for receiving the muzzle of the explosively-actuated tool and for enabling said rear wall of said main part to be secured on said tool, said aperture positioned close to said supplemental wall on said main part and so located that said aperture is centrally positioned on said shield when said shield is in normal arrangement with said parts contiguous, a pair of arms formed as integral extensions on the ends of said peripheral wall section of said complemental part, said arms being outwardly offset so as to overlie the end portions of said peripheral wall section of said main part respectively and pivotally mounted at the outer ends on said peripheral wall section of said main part, said complemental part and said arms so mounted and arranged with respect to said main part as to enable said complemental part to be swung forwardly from its normal position adjacent said main part and then rearwardly over the end of said main part opposite said supplemental wall, releasable locking means for preventing said complemental part from swinging forwardly from its normal position with respect to said main part, and a stop secured on said rear wall of said main part overlying a portion of said rear Wall of said complemental part with the ends of said stop extending forwardly on said main part and engaging said arms respectively when said complemental part is in normal position, thereby preventing said complemental part from being moved rearwardly from its normal position with respect to said main part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

